No. 3 Michigan improved to 7-0 on the season with a 74-66 win at Bradley on Saturday. AP photo

PEORIA, Ill. -- John Beilein just couldn't keep Nik Stauskas on the bench any longer.

And as a result, his Wolverines are 7-0.

The Michigan freshman made his first career start and netted 22 points in the process, leading the third-ranked Wolverines to a 74-66 win at Bradley on Saturday in front of 11,019 at Carver Arena in Peoria, Ill.

Michigan never trailed for a second throughout the contest, its first true road game of the season, and is now off to its best start since 2006.

Stauskas started in place of senior Matt Vogrich alongside Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr., Glenn Robinson III and Jordan Morgan, and finished 8 of 15 from the floor -- 4 of 5 from 3-point range.

The Wolverines led by as many as 16 points with less than four minutes to go, but Bradley stormed its way back late with an 11-0 run. Michigan led for the full 40 minutes.

Michigan also played true freshman Caris LeVert for the first time this season, meaning the plan to redshirt the 6-foot-5 wing from Ohio appears to be over.

HIGHLIGHTS
-- Stauskas had little trouble adjusting to his role as a starter. The 6-foot-6 wing hit the first three 3-point shots he took, and finished the game with 22 points. Everything he sees seems to be falling into the basket right now.

-- Glenn Robinson III kept Michigan in the game early on, getting to the basket and staying active on the offensive glass. He scored 8 of the team's first 10 points before finishing with 13.

-- Michigan played a bunch of different lineups in the first half, but regardless of the combination, the Wolverines were all over the offensive glass. Michigan had 10 offensive rebounds before halftime, basically the only reason they went into the break with a lead.

-- LeVert played in his first game as a Wolverine, and it now appears he won't redshirt this season. The 6-foot-5 freshman played 7 minutes, and logged one rebound.

LOWLIGHTS
-- Michigan again had trouble putting an opponent away with a large lead. The Wolverines led by as many as 16 points with less than four minutes to play, but allowed Bradley to crawl back into things late.

-- Bradley had way too many high-percentage looks at the basket over the game's first 20 minutes. N.C. State was able to have similar success against Michigan earlier in the week as well. The Braves shot 56.5 percent from the floor in the first half.

-- With the emergence of LeVert, former starter Matt Vogrich did not play at all in the first half. He didn't check in until the 3:57 mark of the second, with Michigan up 15. Michigan also didn't play sophomore forward Jon Horford on Saturday, opting to instead go with Peoria native Max Bielfeldt in a reserve role.

ISSUE OF THE DAY: FINAL VERDICT
Bradley -- and its home crowd -- brought it Saturday, providing a terrific road environment at Carver Arena. It didn't matter, though, as the Wolverines kept a lead for the full 40 minutes despite several hard charges from Bradley.

POSTGAME QUESTION
-- Now that he's made his way into the starting lineup, will Nik Stauskas ever go back to the bench?